Bank fishing big water smallmouth

[Cantcatchbass]

I fish for smallmouth in a wide river not creeks with slow current and deepest spots are 12ft and I fish from the bank.My spot had a lot of vegetation and little rock.i get skunked all the time and some times it hopeless to catch a smallmouth no matter the season.I need to know where to cast at and what bait I should use.thanks in advance 

[Finessegenics]

 

none of this advice is specific to your situation but give these a read and I’m sure it’ll give you helpful insights. And if there’s one bait that can always get bit, it’s a ned rig. It doesn’t do great around grass though. 

[Scott F]

Anybody who bank fishes a wide river like you described is going to get blanked frequently.  You’ll have to find a way to cover more water and learn the prime holding spots. Your post didn’t have enough information to help me give you any better information.  

[Cantcatchbass]

7 minutes ago, Scott F said:

Anybody who bank fishes a wide river like you described is going to get blanked frequently.  You’ll have to find a way to cover more water and learn the prime holding spots. Your post didn’t have enough information to help me give you any better information.  

It is full of bank vegetation slow current and it’s near a boat launch and the bottom is smooth and I primarily fish post spawn and summer  

1 hour ago, Finessegenics said:

 

none of this advice is specific to your situation but give these a read and I’m sure it’ll give you helpful insights. And if there’s one bait that can always get bit, it’s a ned rig. It doesn’t do great around grass though. 

I tried the senkos for a few trips and all got skunked 

Edited April 18, 2020 by Cantcatchbass

[Scott F]

What part of the country are you in? Do you catch smallmouth in the same areas during other seasons? Is that the only shore access you have? How do you know what the depths are? What river are you fishing? Are there feeders creeks? 
This time of year, the bass will be feeding and moving toward spawning areas which can be slack water eddies, with gravel bottoms. Eddies that have a lot of silt on the bottom won’t be good for spawning. Vegetation, depending on the species, can be good or bad. 

[Cantcatchbass]

16 minutes ago, Scott F said:

What part of the country are you in? Do you catch smallmouth in the same areas during other seasons? Is that the only shore access you have? How do you know what the depths are? What river are you fishing? Are there feeders creeks? 
This time of year, the bass will be feeding and moving toward spawning areas which can be slack water eddies, with gravel bottoms. Eddies that have a lot of silt on the bottom won’t be good for spawning. Vegetation, depending on the species, can be good or bad. 

I live in the north east and the bank is wide but the structure is the same for a mile long.I used navionics to know what the depths are.There is not a lot of things that change the current.I usually catch them around the 5 to 6 ft area 

[Jsmith1990]

1 hour ago, Cantcatchbass said:

I live in the north east and the bank is wide but the structure is the same for a mile long.I used navionics to know what the depths are.There is not a lot of things that change the current.I usually catch them around the 5 to 6 ft area 

I live in the NE as well. If you are fishing a river right now I can’t imagine the water temp getting over 40 degrees since most nights are below freezing . If you keep going back to that spot because you have/had some success you should take note of weather conditions/outside temperature/water tempts.  Just pay attention next time your having a good day at that particular spot. 

[Captain America]

Sounds like a good summer spot that I fish sometimes (steady retrieve curly tails on a jig head, crankbaits if ur not too scared like me). look up the temp on usgs. It might not be available, but it is a helpful tool. I google: "Name of river temperature". If the temps are lower than 48 the bite might be tough from shore. As far as current goes, in featureless rivers, change in depth causes a change in current. The bottom of the channel will have stronger current, and the water right next to shore will have slower current. The transition might be too gradual to see, but sometimes there is a sweet spot where they will stack up. Steeper drop offs will create bigger breaks. This time of year I like to let my bait sit on the bottom for a few seconds at a time. Looks more like a crayfish. If the water you are fishing is fast enough to sweep a 1/4 oz jig away with no bottom contact, find slower water. Action will heat up the closer you get to the spawn also.  

[Ogandrews]

Hate to state the obvious but most big rivers are going to have dams on them, and wherever there is a dam there is going to be a big home downstream of that dam. When I was limited to shore fishing I spent a good amount of my time fishing around dams because they always held fish. With how you are describing the river I would assume that the fish are still in a late winter pattern which means they will be in one of the biggest holes of that stretch of the river. Dams are great for shore fishing because they provide you with a lot of different depths and different fish holding structure for different parts of the year. If you don’t live close to any dams on that system then I would try to find some rip rap that is close to deep water, up here that will hold fish this time of year as it gives the fish a natural transition as the water gets warmer.

[Cantcatchbass]

On 4/23/2020 at 8:33 AM, Ogandrews said:

Hate to state the obvious but most big rivers are going to have dams on them, and wherever there is a dam there is going to be a big home downstream of that dam. When I was limited to shore fishing I spent a good amount of my time fishing around dams because they always held fish. With how you are describing the river I would assume that the fish are still in a late winter pattern which means they will be in one of the biggest holes of that stretch of the river. Dams are great for shore fishing because they provide you with a lot of different depths and different fish holding structure for different parts of the year. If you don’t live close to any dams on that system then I would try to find some rip rap that is close to deep water, up here that will hold fish this time of year as it gives the fish a natural transition as the water gets warmer.

Fishing right below the dam in my area is prohibited and you must go 1mile from the dam to be able to legally fish

[roadwarrior]

Fish in front of the dam. Generally, this is the HOTTEST spot on a reservoir, but don't tell anybody.

 

 

 

[soflabasser]

Find structure and fish near it.

[LCG]

I would look into getting a kayak or canoe. It will open up a whole new world to you. 

[TnRiver46]

If I’m stuck on the bank fishing big water smallies, I post up on a point 

[NYWayfarer]

Look for submerged cover. Even if not visible to the naked eye you can tell sometimes by the way the surface water swirls that there is current breaking cover underneath. 

 

Letting bait drift past, casting behind or over these points will sometimes get you a bite.  

[Cdn Angler]

If its is shallow, vegetation near shore is an issue, clear enough water and you are targetting SMB I'd look at topwater lures that you can bomb with super long casts. Provided current isn't too strong. 

 

Whopper plopper on lighter line will cast a mile. Rattlin Roumba same thing. Or a heavy popper. 

 

It might not work, but it is a tool that can cover a lot of water from the bank. Smallmouth tend to like topwater and if it is only 12 feet deep they should be able to see it. 

 

Hopefully the végétation is mostly submerged or you can pick open spots. 

[Cantcatchbass]

On 5/27/2020 at 11:48 PM, Cdn Angler said:

If its is shallow, vegetation near shore is an issue, clear enough water and you are targetting SMB I'd look at topwater lures that you can bomb with super long casts. Provided current isn't too strong. 

 

Whopper plopper on lighter line will cast a mile. Rattlin Roumba same thing. Or a heavy popper. 

 

It might not work, but it is a tool that can cover a lot of water from the bank. Smallmouth tend to like topwater and if it is only 12 feet deep they should be able to see it. 

 

Hopefully the végétation is mostly submerged or you can pick open spots. 

How about a popper because it can stay out of the weeds longer and i doubt there are any smallmouth in the weeds